The Historic Manor House at Christmas

 As promised in my last post, I wanted to show a little more of the "Old Fashioned Christmas" neighborhood party that was held at a special mansion that is located in our community, called the Manor House.

Click on to enlarge

A plaque inside the house tells of its illustrious first owner, John C. Shaffer, who built the house and turned the land into an award-winning cattle ranch.

John C. Shaffer in the center surrounded by his wife, two sons, two daughters-in-law and grandchildren.  He named his ranch Ken Caryl after his sons, Kent and Carroll.

The Manor House looked very impressive from its position on the highest hill in the valley, all lit for the Christmas season.

The Manor house is now privately owned and is used primarily as an event/wedding center.  The owners opened the house to the Ken Caryl Community to see how it was decorated for Christmas and to allow for the community to gather and celebrate.

It was a very well attended event! There were food trucks outside and the bar was full of customers. Neighbors were having a good time sitting and talking.

We enjoyed seeing the beautiful decorations...

...and fine antiques.

The Manor House was also the site of frequent entertainment in the Shaffer years, and frequent guests were President Theodore Roosevelt, and President William Howard Taft, as well as industrial chieftains from around the world and celebrities of the time.

The staircase is lined with historical photographs.

 Upstairs, the crowd was thinner and we were able to enjoy a quieter conversation. Our daughter and granddaughter are in one of the photos.

This large ballroom is a recent addition to the house, and most often used for wedding ceremonies and receptions.  On this evening a band was playing music to entertain our fellow residents.

It was so nice to visit this historic home for the Christmas holiday and meet with neighbors to celebrate the season in style.  I hope it will become an annual tradition!

It would be remiss if I did not mention how sad I am for the terrible fires occurring in Australia during this their summer season, and the concurrent destruction of human life and property and wildlife. I visited Australia in 2011 and enjoyed all its beauty.  One of the highlights of my trip was visiting Taronga Zoo--click here to see that post--and where I had the chance to hold this koala bear, as well as do a "walkabout" with kangaroos. Wildfire is always a danger in the United States West, so I truly sympathize with all the people of Australia and I hope and pray all the fires will be resolved very soon!

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